Cover of Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street by Herman Melville
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Category: American Literature Verified Public Domain

Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street

By Herman Melville

"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville is a short story first published in 1853. A Wall Street lawyer hires a new copying clerk named Bartleby, who initially works diligently but soon begins refusing all tasks with the phrase "I would prefer not to." As Bartleby's…

Catalog ID Project Gutenberg eBook #11231
Language English
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About this Edition

"Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street" by Herman Melville is a short story first published in 1853. A Wall Street lawyer hires a new copying clerk named Bartleby, who initially works diligently but soon begins refusing all tasks with the phrase "I would prefer not to." As Bartleby's passive resistance intensifies, the baffled narrator struggles to understand his enigmatic employee. This darkly compelling tale explores isolation, compassion, and the mystery of human behavior in an increasingly impersonal world. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Subjects & Topics

Copyists -- FictionNew York (N.Y.) -- FictionPsychological fictionWall Street (New York, N.Y.) -- FictionYoung men -- FictionCategory: American LiteratureCategory: Short Stories
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